Over the past several years, photosharing has become widely accepted by photo enthusiasts. Many websites currently exist that allow users to upload digital images to the site for storage on a server and for viewing by others over the Internet. Services offered by photosharing websites for which users are charged a fee are also increasing. For example, many photosharing sites enable users to send electronic greeting cards to a specified recipient or to order products such as coffee mugs, mouse pads, and T-shirts, on which a selected image is imprinted.
An example of an online greeting card system is U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,594 issued to Wright et al. Wright discloses an electronic greeting card store and communication system in which one user of a wireless portable device, called a personal communicator, can send a user of another device an electronic greeting card through an electronic mail server. In operation, a collection of electronic greeting cards is stored in the memory of the personal communicator in low resolution. The user of the personal communicator views the low resolution images of the electronic greeting cards, makes a selection based on those low resolution images, designates a destination, and then instructs the personal communicator to send the request message to the electronic mail communication system.
The electronic mail server stores the corresponding high resolution images. When the mail server receives the request message, the mail server wirelessly transmits a high resolution electronic greeting card message to the specified personal communicator for display to a user. Wright also describes that different greeting card stores provide the high and low resolution images to the greeting card system.
One advantage of Wright's system is that it may help prevent theft and counterfeiting because the user of the personal communicator that stores the low resolution greeting card images does not have access to the high resolution images ultimately sent to the receiving parties. However, Wright's system has several disadvantages as well.
One of the main goals of a photosharing site is not only to obtain users, but also to entice the users to pay for services offered by the photosharing site. However, Wright's system may face obstacles in obtaining users without relying on heavy advertising because the users must first be made aware of the existence of the greeting card site, go online and consciously navigate to the site, and then download the low resolution greeting card images to their personal devices. It is well-known in the online community that requiring the user to perform a download prior to placing an order will result in a significant percentage of lost customers, which results in lost revenues.
Another primary goal of photosharing sites is to entice businesses to make their digital photos available on the site in the hope that users will pay a fee to use the images in some fashion, such as by sending electronic postcards and making prints and other photo creations. However, in Wright's system, even if one assumes that the user finds the greeting card site and then downloads the low resolution greeting card database, there is no guarantee that the user will actually select a greeting card from any particular greeting card company.
In summary, the disadvantages of Wright's system include a failure to attract users to the greeting card site absent heavy advertising; the requirement that the user has to download the low resolution cards in most cases; and little guarantee that the cards of a particular greeting card company will be selected by users. Due to these disadvantages, there is little incentive for a greeting card company to participate in the greeting card site. This ultimately results in lost revenues for both the greeting card site and the greeting card company.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved method and system for distributing images. The method and system should encourage photo-rich entities to participate in an online photosharing system based on the prospect of increased revenue generated by their digital images. The present invention addresses such a need.